ALBANY — New York on Tuesday took the lead in the national fight against gun violence when Gov. Cuomo signed into law a sweeping package of gun-control measures — including a major expansion of the state’s assault weapons ban.
The governor signed the bill just before dinner time, minutes after the Assembly sent it to his desk on a 104-43 vote. He called it “the most comprehensive package in the nation.”
“I am proud to be a New Yorker because New York is doing something,” Cuomo said. “We are fighting back.”
The measure sailed through on a fast track, negotiated in the weeks after the Dec. 14 Newtown, Conn., shooting rampage. It was pushed by Cuomo, who wanted New York to be the first state to tighten its gun laws after the tragedy.The law took effect immediately — before President Obama could announce his own sweeping proposal for action on the federal level to curb gun violence. Obama was set to detail his plan on Wednesday.
The new state law expands the definition of banned weapons to include semiautomatic pistols and rifles with at least one military-style feature. As a result, the Bushmaster AR-15 used in the shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown would be banned.
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